Well yesterday was the big day for me. Finally...a bit later than I would have liked...I got my boiler up and running. It was a fine day to start burning wood. Mid 60's outside, sunshine, warm breeze and a forecast calling for 1-3" of snow 24 hours later.
This is my first year burning beech. And based on how my cold tanks/boiler responded to it I suspect it's burning quite a bit hotter than my usual load of black cherry mixed with oaks and maple.
As most folks with storage know the first fire of the year is usually a bit of a struggle. Much of the boiler output is being consumed by the boiler itself to keep return water up to temp. My bottom tank temp was 59 degrees when I started, 64 at the top. It's a slow process getting the heat to the bottom of the tanks.
A typical year for me will see output temps hover around 160-175 during this start-up period. Yesterday I was pushing 190 for much of the burn with my pump on high. I also had to throttle my air back significantly more than normal to keep my stack temps reasonable. All in all, very pleased with the burn I was getting from these loads of beech. I'm heating my house this morning with 180 degree tanks top to bottom.
Want to see stratification? This is after 3+ hours of burning. This is what a painfully slow mix will get ya.
![Beech burns HOT! Late first fire of the year for me. Beech burns HOT! Late first fire of the year for me.](/talk/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm9.staticflickr.com%2F8063%2F8211353924_997aa823c3_b.jpg&hash=f06b53960acca4e932cede2fe861541c)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cheapinebriant/8211353924/
This is my first year burning beech. And based on how my cold tanks/boiler responded to it I suspect it's burning quite a bit hotter than my usual load of black cherry mixed with oaks and maple.
As most folks with storage know the first fire of the year is usually a bit of a struggle. Much of the boiler output is being consumed by the boiler itself to keep return water up to temp. My bottom tank temp was 59 degrees when I started, 64 at the top. It's a slow process getting the heat to the bottom of the tanks.
A typical year for me will see output temps hover around 160-175 during this start-up period. Yesterday I was pushing 190 for much of the burn with my pump on high. I also had to throttle my air back significantly more than normal to keep my stack temps reasonable. All in all, very pleased with the burn I was getting from these loads of beech. I'm heating my house this morning with 180 degree tanks top to bottom.
Want to see stratification? This is after 3+ hours of burning. This is what a painfully slow mix will get ya.
![Beech burns HOT! Late first fire of the year for me. Beech burns HOT! Late first fire of the year for me.](/talk/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm9.staticflickr.com%2F8063%2F8211353924_997aa823c3_b.jpg&hash=f06b53960acca4e932cede2fe861541c)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cheapinebriant/8211353924/